Kiwi Rising - Double IPL | Jack's Abby Brewing

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Notes / Commercial Description:
This is an intensely hoppy and strong lager that we refer to as a Double India Pale Lager. Over four pounds of hops per BBL of New Zealand hops (Kiwi Hops) were used in progressively larger hop additions throughout the brewing process. Four kettle hop additions, whole leaf hops in the hop back, and multiple dry hop additions infuse an intense floral and citrusy aroma. No kiwifruit or kiwi birds were used in the production of this beer.

Reviews by ghostwalker:

Nose is clean, cut grapefruit. A bit restrained, compared to what I expected, but still very nice.

Flavor is outstanding! Once again, near perfection. Super light, almost non-existent, malt body crowned with a clean, crisp blast of citrus hops. Light sweetness, again I have to reference marshmallows. The hop flavors are mighty and intense, but not really overly bitter. I almost want to break out the advanced hop vocabulary for a technical description, but it's too cold and I'm too tired tonight. Taste is right up there with Heady Topper or Lawson's Double Kiwi.

Mouthfeel is slick, stripping, tart and zesty.

Overall, just a wonderful taste treat. Another top notch hop bomb from the East Coast. Nice work!

To think, I nearly avoided this brew because of the L word (lager) on the label. Glad I didn't let preconceptions guide me.

More User Reviews:

In a lot ways, this wonderfully big, hoppy lager leans—in terms of taste and texture—into the XPA territory: juicy, sharp, immensely grassy, with a clean, light, blonde-malt body and a dry, pointed finish. But in the juiciness, and the galloping effervescent, one sees the lager likenesses become more apparent: a substantial yeast-fruitiness, and a round, creamy sub-current—elements which are more subtle and softly announce themselves—position Kiwi Rising solidly in the province of Pilsner. And yet those New Zealand hops really set this beer apart within the "Imperial Pilsner" subset, imparting intense and floral aromas of grapefruit, papaya, and wild grasses, delivering the same—along with hemp resins, pine and spruce juices, some juniper, key lime, and even a hint of mango—to the very complex flavor-profile.

This is a really excellent effort out of Framingham: a great alchemical operation that brings the best of two burgeoning genres (New Zealand-hopped XPAs and Imperial Pilsners) and holds those qualities in elegantly coordinated concert.

Pours a very cloudy yellow gold with thick head and sticky lacing. Nose is a blast of hops, some citrus, and floral. This sucker is a beautiful hoppy beer, mixed with a soft citrus and sweet floral undertone gives this one a great drinkability and keeps you wanting more. I could not put this beer down, it was that tasty. Fantastic stuff.

Straight pour from a 16oz can to an oversized wineglass (Jester King stem, obvs you guys). There is some freshness information printed in yellow ink on the underside of the can, but I’m not entirely sure what it means: “Call me Ishmael. 256 0500111416”. It’s possible that it indicates a November 14, 2016 canning date, which is technically possible but would make it just four days old at the time of consumption. If true, that’s fantastic. If not, this is still freshy-fresh: this only just showed up on shelves in my area a day or two ago.

Appearance (4.5): Three full fingers of soft, fat and bubbly foam rise off of the pour, capping a slightly chill-hazed honey-golden body. The head dieas down at a moderate pace, leaving wide, splotchy, thick clumps of foamy lace all around the glass. This is fluffy, golden, not too hazy and not too clear to upset just about anyone. Woof.

Smell (4.5): Ugh, good lord . . . I love they way Jack’s Abby shines a lot on hops. Clear, beautiful, and polished, it smells of a well-balanced mix of pungent, funky citrus like passionfruit and papaya, with grassy undertones evincing gooseberry and crushed flower stems. A bit of southern biscuits with honey on top offer some semblance of malt, but it mostly just offers some body for the hops to take full form in the nose. From the glass, softer melon, peach and pear notes come out as the beer warms up a bit, but passionfruit and fresh cut grass (evoking a lot of sauvignon blanc notes), along with slight mineral tones, still dominate. No complaints here.

Taste (4.5): Immediately a touch of mellow, sweet melon and stone fruit (cantaloupe and nectarine) come out, but they are quickly overrun by red grapefruit tartness, green guava, strong grassy flavors (both bitter and slightly vegetal). Then, a nice wave of toasted malt comes in with a touch of toffee and some rustic multigrain bread, pulling together the sweet, fruity notes and the tart, pithy, grassy bitterness to form something resembling the funky side of passionfruit. There’s a slight alcoholic warmth that adds a little extra body to that nice, balanced maltiness, and it jives seamlessly with the confluence of hops and malt. Grassy, minerally, and slightly dank tones take shape toward the back end of the palate, giving a vinous impression that really comes to dominate the latter half of the flavor profile. It also leaves impressions of lime and lemon zest, leaving it fairly dry without sacrificing its fullness.

Mouthfeel (4.5): Carbonation is smooth, the body is velvety and on the full- side of medium-weight, and the bubbles tingle just slightly as it washes out. The carbonation offers a nice base for the pithy, drying hop profile to lift the roof of any malty richness—as if it relieves any pressure that might have come from a rich, malty body. What this means is just that it remains dry and easy to drink without sacrificing the richness and fullness that comes from a nicely balanced beer of 8.5% ABV.

Overall (4.5): A couple of years ago, I came to the conclusion that Jack’s Abby sets a pretty high bar for hoppy lagers. Add this to my box of evidence. They just know how to treat and showcase hops without sacrificing drinkability, creating a beer that’s more approachable than comparable (D)IPAs. As I’ve come to expect with Jack’s Abby’s hoppy lagers, the malt and the meeting point between malt and hops has a smoother, more well-integrated feel to it. It’s just smoother than you would expect for a comparable pale ale. I’m not about to say that this beer is a game changer in either the world of lagers or hoppy, pale beers; however, I am willing to say that this is just about as good as you’re going to get in the somewhat smaller center slice of that venn diagram. This beer is fantastic, and especially at its price point (I paid $10.99/4-pack), is very, very highly recommended.

T - Very fresh tasting, with lime, cantaloupe, kumquats, and a healthy dose of savory onion and garlic from the hops. The malt is super smooth and unobtrusive, while lending a cracker crispness and sugar cookie sweetness. Just a hint of bitterness on the finish, with lingering musky tropical flavor.

M - Has a bit of body to it, reminding you this is in fact a high-ABV beer. The moderate carbonation is just right.

O - A seasonal favorite, especially when enjoyed fresh. The piquant flavor from the hops is not for everyone, but the balance on this beer is superb. Worth getting at least one of each November, especially when your fridge runs dry of Heady Topper.

Slightly hazy, pale yellow pour, with a thin cap of bubbly white head that retained as a ringlet; light lacing. Grassy aroma, pine needles, distant biscuity malts, pretty stale overall. Major vegetal hop bitterness in the taste, the bitterness nearly blasting out all flavor and complexity in the brew; grass and pine-scented cleaner, ammonia, herbal tea. Body was light and watery, like lagery, but not fleshed out enough with malts to compensate for the overblown hop profile, and the higher almost soda-like carbonation wasn't helping either. "Messy" I guess is a good way to describe the beer. Between the people fawning over this when it was shared, and the high ratings it seems to get...I'm simply confused.

Lagers get a bad reputation in our world, but this lager was done right! I am telling you this is a fantastic and very drinkable beer. This sucker is 8.5 % and you do not taste the alcohol. Be careful with this one!

Look: Hazy hay yellow. Nice head retention looks like a lager, but this one is a bit thicker and hazier than the rest.

Smell: You get some hops in there, sweet grassy nicely balanced.

Taste: This is a solid beer people, don't discount the lager, it gets no respect in the world of sours, stouts and IPA's but this one is flavorful. Its has a nice malt backbone, not too sweet, but the Kiwi hops they use up the ante on this one. Its very well balanced. Almost like a perfectly balanced ale really but with a better mouthfeel!

Overall: This is a great beer, you cannot taste the alcohol which can get you into trouble with too many of them. The hops balance it out and its got an intensity to it. Almost like an IPA and lager but too balanced to detect a difference. I have two of these and I am happy I got this on a trade from a good friend in RI. If you can get your hands on this beer buy it or trade for it!

Cannot stress how good this beer is if you like hops. If you think a lager-ed DIPA sounds contradictory, prepare to see the very fabric of space and time.

The nose of this beer will send you rocketing into the stratosphere through a billow of lager-yeast effervescence and citrusy-sweet tropical paradise. Notes of everything from kiwi, mango, pineapple, orange, and just enough a touch of pine and grass to categorize this an abundantly hopped, dank DIPA.

The taste follows the nose very closely, though exhibits more piney/dank bitterness toward the finish that balances the tropical juice bomb. This beer could almost fool one into thinking it doesn't contain any Nelson hops with the lack of usual vinous flavours, though I find it may be noticeable in the dryness at the end.

Overall, a wonderful mosaic-showcase of hops. According to the brewery's bartender, it has about 5-6 hops, and manages to capture an array of fantastic flavours that any hop-lover should enjoy and seek out!

When I saw on their instagram that JA was releasing a new batch of Kiwi Rising in cans I was absolutely elated- I don't remember the last time I had Kiwi Rising but it's been a while and I think of it fondly. This beer does not disappoint. The aroma is so incredibly dank- to such an extent that there's almost a rotting lilac aroma that lingers after a few whiffs. This may sound odd but it's quite delightful- the way all perfumes contain trace amounts of foul odors to serve as counterweights. Lots of papaya and grass as well. This beer feels like nectar on the palate! Lots and lots of overripe pineapple and piney mango, along with cannabis and lemon peel, and a beautiful light but affirmative malty structure. This beer reminds me a lot of Trillium's Melcher Street beer and that's high praise! This is a wonderful big New England DIPA and a great value (11.99/4-pk in NY)